Better Than Me
by The Blonde King's Lionheart
Summary: AU/AH. Elena is an undercover agent hired by the FBI to be planted in a company which is suspected to be involved in illegal activities. She is disguised as the personal assistant of the company's head. But what happens when she discovers the owner of that company is none other than Damon, her high school crush who transformed from an insecure nerd to a billionaire heart-throb?
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: **This is my first ever attempt at fanfiction in my entire life. English is not my first language. I suggest you to please be gentle with me in criticism. If I am making mistakes along the way, please do not hesitate to enlighten me but be polite. My writing might resemble with other fanfiction writers in one way or another because I have been reading a lot of them lately but I assure you, the writing and the plot belongs to me and me alone.

**Disclaimer:** No copyright infringement intended. The fictional characters belong to L.J. Smith, Julie Plec and the TVD creators.

**CHAPTER 1 : THE INTRODUCTION**

The waitress had just brought her first coffee cup and placed it before her on the table.

"Thank you, Gwen." Elena smiled politely at the caramel-skinned waitress.

She had a habit of keeping everyone's name. It was something she liked. It made her feel more at home with the people around her.

Elena took one sip from her coffee cup and stopped to look around from table to table, then her eyes stopped to look at the entrance of the coffee shop through which different people were entering. Couples, friends, family, loners – all types of people. Just not the one she was expecting at the moment. It's been fifteen minutes of waiting.

Elena was growing anxious and impatient by the minute. She despised waiting. It drove her crazy.

Finally, to her relief, she saw a man with blonde hair in his late thirties, approaching the table where she was sitting, looking miserable as ever because of the wait.

"Where were you?" Elena hissed at him irritated, "I've been here for more than fifteen minutes now."

"Sorry Elena, I got caught up in something... long story," the man tried to explain as he took a seat across from her, "So shall we?"

"Never mind John," Elena said with a dismissive wave of her hand. "So what did you want to talk to me about?"

John Barrymore was an FBI agent. He had approached Elena a month ago on her graduation day asserting that he had a task for her to perform. Since Elena was conflicted about what to pursue after graduation and also, she was against the idea of leaving Jeremy behind for college after everything that had happened with her parents, John was undoubtedly proposing an offer she could not refuse.

John handed her his card with his number and some details on it.

"Meet me next week in the local coffee shop down the street at eight." John had said and turned on his heel after seeing Elena nod in response.

The money was good. At least better than what she could ever get for her first real, full time job. Five thousand dollars paid in advance and more to come on each task that she accomplished.

Her job was to work as a regular worker in a company, as a PA to be more specific. A personal assistant. She was planted as a spy in it. An undercover agent. How cool was that? An undercover agent disguised as a personal assistant. Not that the thought of the job being risky did not cross her mind. It did. But her need for the money overshadowed her fear. She could not care less.

She was on the verge of selling their house because of their broke condition. Jenna was a shop clerk. Jeremy worked part-time in the local grill as a bus boy. Hence, their overall income only enabled them to remain hand to mouth.

The company was suspected to be involved in an illegal drug racket, smuggling of goods and various such activities. At least that is what John told her. He also added that the people involved in this crime were too smart to leave a trail behind. Everytime the FBI would search for evidence, they would get jack. The kind of disappointment that was.

All Elena had to do was keep a keen eye for anything suspicious or out of place and also to keep John and the FBI updated about the projects that they were working on, the company's confidential files, their account histories and everything else that was considered to be of importance to the company.

In the coffee shop, Elena was growing restless by the second, waiting for John to speak. John was staring blankly at the wall behind her. She could tell he had his thinking cap on. He hadn't said a word after explaining to her all the essential elements of her job in as much detail he could muster up.

He finally spoke.

"Now that I have already told you the theme of your job, are you up for it?" John asked her, uncertain of her answer. "Have you given my offer a thought?"

"Yes John, I have actually thought about it," Elena responded, emphasizing on 'actually'.

"And?"

"I'll do it," she agreed.

* * *

ONE WEEK LATER

It was somewhere in the countryside where she was running through the vast green fields, surrounded by the immense stretch of the heaven what looked like frosty blue had been painted all over with a few faint patches of white here and there. She could feel the rays of sunlight caressing her smooth, olive skin and the softness of the grass beneath her feet. She saw herself dressed in a long white gown which reached up to her ankles which looked as if it had been stolen from a princess of a fairytale in a land faraway of whom she had heard stories in her childhood from her mother. She continued to head in an unknown direction, guided by her heart until she came upon a white light. A light which she had never seen before nor recognized. A light in which she felt so peaceful as if all her sorrows and sadness had been sucked into it. Then in a matter of moments, she saw someone appearing before her, tearing through that collection of seven colors of a spectrum. A man. She saw his eyes. Oh his eyes. He had eyes as blue as the skies that was surrounding them, as blue as color of the ocean. So pure, so warm. But who is he? Who is this mysterious man? But before she could see anything else-

*RIIIIING RIINNGG RIING* Her alarm clock went off and then she heard Jenna shouting from downstairs in hopes that her voice had enough decibels to wake her up from her slumber.

"ELENAAAA!" She sat up immediately as she heard her aunt's voice as if a thousand needles have been poked simultaneously into her ears to bring her back to life from that mesmerizing dream. She sighed at the sudden interruption of her beyond beautiful dream about her potential future Prince Charming. "How annoying! At least Jenna could have waited till I saw his face," she murmured to herself and made a 'pfft' sound followed by an eye roll.

Elena was no different than an average girl who hoped to be swept off her feet one day by her Mr. Right. Except, she was not looking for anything at the moment because she had her hands full with other plans that she had for herself.

She paced towards her bathroom to brush, clean and shower. Picking out her outfit took her about ten minutes as usual. It was a big day today.

Hey, if a girl is gonna have a bad day coming up to hit her in the face she might as well look good, right?

Elena walked out of the shower, wrapped a towel around her petite body and stumbled on her scattered belongings towards the dresser in her bedroom and applied her make-up which only consisted of an eyeliner, some mascara and nude lipstick with a hint of transparent gloss. She wasn't much of a make up person. She decided to go for a simple yet stylish loose white, collared vest top on it to go with a pencil skirt and black flat pumps.

I think I look work appropriate, she thought. The words "Ta-da!" escaped her lips before she could think as she smiled and threw one last glance at herself in the mirror.

She rushed downstairs only to catch Jeremy and Jenna at the kitchen table with pancakes and maple syrup placed before them. Aunt Jenna sure knew how to cook! In fact, if she didn't have to work 24/7 as a small time shop clerk to meet the needs of her now-adopted children, she would have been a celebrity chef by now.

"Mmm…" Elena mumbled "Pancakes my favorite!" as her face lit up in a toothy smile. Jeremy was hogging the pancakes down his throat. "Who starved him? Has he been living in the basement with no food considering I didn't see him at home much?" Elena raised an eyebrow and burst into laughter as she watched Jeremy's reaction change from one that of a hungry tramp to a what-have-I-ever-done-to-you look.

* * *

Elena's parents deceased in a car accident when she was fifteen. Her parents were out on a date night to get some time off from their hectic routines and to relish the company of each other. Her family was a picture perfect one. A loving mother, a caring and affectionate father and an annoying brother whom she loved anyway. That was until that date night of her parents, that one dark night turned their world upside down.

Elena was home alone when she received a call from City Hospital, informing them of the grave tragedy that had just befallen their family. Their parents' car was hit by a drunk driver as they were on their way, returning to the comforts of their home after spending a wonderful time. The hospital authorities were calling them in to identify the bodies.

"No… no.. no no no.. this can't be happening," Elena cried. She felt her entire world falling apart, her heart being crushed into a million pieces and the shooting pain in her chest. She could not believe her ears.

"Maam', I would like you to come here and identify the two dead bodies as soon as possible," the voice on the other side of the phone said. Elena disconnected the phone and her next immediate instinct was to call Jeremy and so she did.

"Jer…" Elena almost whispered, her voice felt stuck in her throat because of the pain she was feeling. "Elena? What's up?" Jeremy replied, suddenly worried hearing the shake in her voice.

"It's mom and dad, Jer."

"What? What happened?"

Elena started sobbing weakly.

"Elena... what the hell? You're scaring me now."

"Mom and dad... they're… no more," Elena said, finally forming the words to break it to her brother that they were all alone now in between her weeping.

"Elena? Is this some sort of a sick prank? Stop it okay. It's not funny." Poor Jeremy. Couldn't believe it either. He was in denial.

"No Jer... I wish I was lying… City Hospital just called, they called us in to identify our parents' bodies.. I'm going with Bonnie and her gramps, please hurry." Elena could only imagine how Jeremy must be feeling. She heard the phone disconnect and ran to Bonnie's and then went to the hospital where her now-dead parents were lying, making their way to heaven.

"Jer, no matter what happens… we will always have each other, okay? You'll have me, you'll always have me. We'll take care of each other." Those were Elena's last words to Jeremy as a tear rolled down her cheek before leaving the funeral. It was more like a promise to her little brother.

It wasn't easy for Elena and Jeremy to be orphaned suddenly and left alone open to the coldness of the world. Elena remembered crying her eyes out for several weeks and Jeremy just had himself locked in a room to grieve the death of their parents.

Weeks later, Elena had decided to be the strong girl that her parents had taught her to be. She had to be the strong one. It was not a choice. She had to do it for Jeremy. She gathered the pieces of herself, sure it took her a lot of time, but she pulled herself together because she did not want to lose Jeremy, the last family she had left.

Elena and Jeremy would have been living alone, becoming the disturbed, irresponsible and reckless children that would destroy anything that came in their way, channeling all their emotions of grief, anguish, anger and sadness into sabotaging anything and everything that they had. That would have been the case if Jenna Sommers hadn't stepped into the picture and taken the responsibility of these children. Aunt Jenna had been the hero of their house. She was not much older than them. She was only twenty four when she took the Gilbert children in. She cooked for them, cleaned after them and loved them as if they were her own.

There could never be a substitute for their mother but if there could be one, Jenna Sommers would certainly take the cake. She was like a second mother to them.

* * *

Elena had just graduated high school a month ago and was looking forward to her first job-cum-mission in some business firm called "S&S Corporations". She only knew what John had told her about it. John informed her that it was operated by two brothers who had 'almost' equal ownership to the company. But what Elena failed to comprehend was that why John had asked her to keep her defenses up.

It was her first day in her mission and her first day at work. She didn't want to be late on the first day of her job and get a scolding from her boss, no matter how fake her job may be. But despite her will to reach early, it was just not Elena's day. She was running late, she almost tripped on a brick which was misplaced on the street's footpath, she could not find a cab and when she did, the traffic jam was touching her nerves, making her squirm restlessly to reach her destination in time.

After a series of trials and tribulations on her way to the office, she had at last reached in one piece. She rushed through the entrance of the building and took one look around before finding the receptionist's counter. The receptionist was a young lady with dark black hair ending at her shoulders. Her eyes were wide and black and were suiting her round face perfectly.

"Hey I'm Elena Gilbert, I would like to see the boss please. I have a meeting with him now." She said between pants as she reached the counter, trying to catch her breath.

"Miss Gilbert, ofcourse." The receptionist looked up from her computer screen and smiled at Elena. "I am aware that you have an appointment with him. He is expecting you. He will see you shortly. Please make yourself comfortable." The receptionist pointed towards the three-seater sofa lying across the room.

After five minutes, the phone on receptionist's desk rang which caught Elena's attention. The girl picked it up quickly.

"Yes sir, she is here," She replied on the phone, "Yes sir, will do." She raised her head to look at Elena. "He will see you now Miss Gilbert. His office is on the eighth floor. You will find Kate, his secretary as you reach, she will lead you to his room," The receptionist informed her, "Right this way Miss Gilbert, have a good day." She pointed her hand in the direction where the elevator was rested.

"Thank you, Miss?" Elena smiled to the girl behind the counter, "Elizabeth" Elena heard the girl reply.

"Elizabeth, of course," Elena repeated under her breath as she proceeded towards the elevator.

* * *

The eighth floor was quite well decorated. It had a modern décor with a touch of white marble tiles. It looked luxurious and seemed to be set up by someone with incredible taste.

As she stepped foot out of the elevator, she saw a huge counter a few steps from where she stood with a lady with blonde hair and blue eyes behind it. She was dressed in work clothes. White shirt, grey blazer and pencil skirt. The badge hanging on the right side of her blazer read 'Kate Anderson'.

The secretary ofcourse, Elena thought. As Elena made her way to Kate's counter, Kate looked at her and smiled, which seemed to Elena that she did it out of work policy rather than true courtesy.

"Are you Miss Gilbert?" Kate asked.

Elena nodded.

"The boss will see you now." Kate showed her the way to the head of the company's office and left her at his door.

Elena turned the knob of the door and with one slight push, it opened. A man dressed in black, tall with raven hair was standing with his back towards the room and facing the window.

She took one step inside the room and knocked at the door in an attempt to attain the man's attention. "Hello?"

The man turned around and as he did, it was as if he turned her whole universe around. All the colors on her face flew away. She could hear her heart racing and pounding in her chest. Her brown doe eyes were wide. She was clearly in a trance for a moment before she snapped out of it, but still in shock nevertheless. She could not believe it as her brown eyes met his cerulean blue ones.

"Damon?"

* * *

**A/N: **John Barrymore is actually John Gilbert from TVD but in this story, he is by no means related to Elena.

Hope you liked the story! I spent hours on this! Please read and review, review, review!  
I shall only continue this story if it keeps the readers, meaning you guys interested so let me know in your review whether I should continue or not :)

P.S. No flamers. Constructive criticism is welcomed with open arms only if you're nice. Suggestive prompts for next chapters will be appreciated.

Be kind to one another.

Love to all of you,

Jia


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **Guys! I'm extremely sorry for the late update. Life happened and also a lack of motivation to write. College plans and admissions and more, yano. Hope you all understand. I got my first college acceptance letter today :D But it's also not the college I had on my priority list but okay.

First of all, thank youuu soooo much like a million thank yous for all those lovely reviews! All of them were so positive and so immensely supportive, I couldn't believe it. I wish there was a way to show my gratitude in its true form. I didn't expect that kind of response for a newbie writer like me honestly. But again, thank you so much for the reviews/favs/alerts/follows/silent readers! I'm going to reply to all the reviews in PM. You guys make me so happy. :')

Thank you to the reviewers: **Irina from Romania, delenalover567, Helene08, itwillalwaysbedamon, Laura, erinfitz37, jenny, jairem and the guest reviewers. Loads of kisses to you guys :***

This is a long chapter, a treat for all you people who have been so patient and so supportive. I'm not exactly proud of this chapter but I hope I lived up to your expectations. My writing is still a little sloppy but bear with me pliss? :3

I have decided to post my favorite review every once in a while so here is my first favorite review. I admit to being biased because it was my first review ever. Nevertheless, I love you all the same. x

**REVIEW OF THE DAY:**

_I have to say this:I AM IMPRESSED!Maybe it's your first story,but it is great!You REALLY made me curious!It seems an interesting story,I like the idea,I like the title,I like the plot!Damon and Elena know eachother,she works for him and she spies on is very good!I am curious if there is a reason ar a complicated issue ehy Stefan and Damon don't have the same ownership and if Damon's company rreally does something illegal.I like that Elena wants to know everyone's for the grammar,you are doing a great job!In the following chapters you could use more flashbacks and I think that it would be kind of funny if Damon didn't know anyone's name and it would piss Elena off and someday in the future she will convince him to learn their names!_  
_But more importantly,this is YOUR story!You gotta write it the way you want to...after all,you can't please everyone ! _  
_Thanks for your effort,time and for sharing this awesome story!(sorry if the review appears incomplete)Greetings from Romania!Irina:* _

Here you go lovies!

**Disclaimer: **No copyright infringement intended. All the characters belong to L.J. Smith, Julie Plec and to the creators of TVD.

* * *

**CHAPTER 2: CONFRONTATIONS AND FLASHBACKS**

"Damon?"

"El-lay-na Gilbert," Damon uttered, separating each syllable of Elena's name while taking a step towards the desk after each syllable. "Long time, no see."

She could recognize that face, those blue eyes and that soothing voice even if she was lost in a crowd of millions.

All the events from the past came crashing down on her, flooding her mind and freezing her on the spot. Her judgment, clouded and disabled her from making any intelligent moves. Every word, every move and every step that she was to take would have been by impulse. She stumbled on her heel a little before taking one step inside.

"You…" Pause with eyes wide open, "That…" Stammering and shuddering, Elena pointed her right thumb behind her in the air. "We… what?" Pause. She looked down, took a deep breath in an effort to gain composure and raised her head again to look him in the eye.

"You are certainly not nervous at all." Damon commented in a sarcastic tone.

"You own this company?" A very flabbergasted Elena stood before Damon, hoping for an answer that was contrary to her expectations. The insides of her mind were jumbled.

Elena advanced a few uneasy paces into the room, releasing the door knob from her clasp and now footed in the middle.

"Surprise surprise!" Damon wriggled his eyebrows accompanied by a devilish smirk.

Elena raised her eyebrows in question.

"Oh, come on Elena. I'm sure you have enough mush in that pretty little head of yours to figure it out by now. There's a plate on the door. It's quite big. Okay, not that big but still not that small either. I'd be surprised if you missed it." Damon stated calmly but in a subtle mocking tone.

Elena shuffled a bit where she was standing that did not go unnoticed by Damon.

Damon huffed and rolled his eyes. "It reads and I quote," Damon coiled his fingers in an air quoting manner, "Damon Salvatore brackets CEO."

Elena cussed at herself in her head for being so dim-witted and stupid. Today was going to be a long day.

"I can't do this…" Elena whispered to herself which thankfully, for Elena's sake, didn't land on Damon's ears who was standing quite a few steps away.

Her brain had completely shut down, declining any and all support to think through anything that she was to utter. But then again, it had always been like that with Damon. He had this unimaginable hold on her that was beyond her explanation.

Damon took a seating on his black leather chair and rocked it back and forth while keeping a devious smile plastered on his face. As if some realization hit him, Damon stood up hastily.

"Apologies. Where are my manners? Please sit." Damon pointed his hand towards two chairs that met the desk opposite from where he stood.

Walking from where he was previously settled, Damon took a standpoint beside one of the two chairs and leaned his body on the desk, keeping one of his hand on it to support his weight.

Damon was enjoying this way too much.

Elena was having a hard time stomaching the fact that she would be working for Damon Salvatore. Not just any Damon Salvatore. The boy she was once madly in love with. Working for him. Spying on him. But what distressed her the most was that she will be betraying him. Betraying the trust an employer places on his employees.

Had it been anyone else, Elena would not have permitted any remorse to creep within her but even after all those years, the strings of her heart were somehow still tied to him. Granted she had not thought of him in a while. But it certainly did not imply that she had not occasionally caught herself wondering about him. About he where he was. How he was doing. Was he ok? Did he think of her at all? Had he found someone? Was he engaged to get married? Those questions, once entered her thoughts, would disable her to get a good night's sleep at all. If nothing, she would reminisce about those precious moments that she spent by his side.

She had thought about seeing him in a library, sitting quietly and inhaling his books like he breathes the words in it. She pictured a scenario where they would accidentally bump into each other in a club and then plan on catching up on a cup of coffee. Although, Damon was never the type to socialize a lot. At least till the time she had known him.

Never in a million years could Elena Gilbert have foretold that she was to cross paths with him in a situation as present. She started questioning her decision pertaining to John's offer. It felt wrong.

Elena mentally kicked herself for failing to carry out a background check on the company she was to 'work' for. The prevailing uncomfortable state could have been avoided if she had thought of it earlier.

It was costing every ounce of self-restraining capacity in her to abstain herself from coming clean to him. Why? That discerned her understanding. A reasonable explanation could be that her feelings had depleted over the years. She did not love him like she did back in her high school days. Yet, she was aware that the feelings were there. Deep down, somewhere in the dark corner of her heart, they existed. Though not as potent, yet enough to renew her love for him.

That did not mean that she did not hate him for their past. She had the choice of letting bygones be bygones but to say she was only hurt would be the understatement of the year. Over the years, she managed to translate the pain he caused her in the high-school into hate.

Her train of thoughts were becoming impossible to halt. She was losing track of them. She had to stop. Become professional. She had to keep her priorities and objectives in check.

Act professional Elena, she scolded herself.

Although she could not help but notice, there was something awfully different about Damon. He was not the same teenage boy she had seen in her high school days. The insecure little nerd that would curl up in a corner with his course books to study for his test due the following week, one who had his face almost hidden by his spectacles and yet, even something as defective as a pair of glasses could not diminish the exquisiteness of his drop-dead gorgeous facial features. That boy had disappeared, replacing him with a more self-assured, poised and an indomitable man. He was not shy or nervous. If anything, he was more confident. There was an air of superiority that was evident in the Damon that stood before her very eyes. More sarcastic, more mature obviously appearance-wise, and above all, standing tall and ready to fight the world if it came in his way at any given instant.

Elena hesitated a little before choosing to settle down in the chair that was farther from where Damon stood, maintaining safe distance. At this point, she did not trust herself. Especially around him.

She kept her hands one above the other on her lap.

"So CEO and all, huh? Must be fun keeping people around until they are useful to you and kicking them out when you're done with them," Elena spoke bitterly and tilted her head in question.

"After all, it won't be the first time you do it. It's kind of your thing, isn't it?" Trying her best not to sound upset.

"Watch your mouth Elena," Damon warned. "Last time I checked, I am still the CEO of the company that is going to sign your future paychecks. "

"Oh, what are you going to do Damon? Fire me on my first day of work?" Elena challenged and narrowed her eyes.

"Now where's the fun in that?" Damon stood straight and smiled mockingly.

"It's always fun and games for Damon Salvatore." Elena spat dramatically, anger apparent in her tone. It became hard for her to sit still in her place because of the all the hurt and anger bubbling inside of her.

"I saw your resume. Quite interesting, I must say," Damon acknowledged, changing the subject as he held a file in his hands, took a good look at it and then raised his eyes on Elena.

Elena was glaring at him from where she stood, not realizing when she took that position in midst of the battle that was going on inside her between remaining calm and civil because he was her boss to-be and giving him a piece of her mind because he was an ass to her.

"Coward…" Elena said in a low-voice.

"What was that?"

"I can't work here. I have to go. " Saying the words that were meant to be her last in the room, she quickly directed her pace towards the door and made for the knob.

All the while, the thought of John putting her up for this escaped her consideration.

"Who's the coward now?" Elena stopped in her track. Damn. He wasn't suppose to hear that.

"Elena, if I were you, I'd think twice before walking out of that door, especially if I wanted to survive in a city like this for the rest of my life," Damon smirked as he took a couple of steps towards where Elena stood before he stood a mere foot from her.

Elena turned around to face him but was startled to see that Damon was standing closer to her than before. She fought the fear that came from being near him.

"You can't threaten me like this."

"I think I just did." Damon mocked. "Enough chit-chat for now, Miss Gilbert."

And backed away from her.

Damon walked back to his leather seat which screamed "CEO" with all of its existence and gave him enough power to control half the city at a phone-call's distance. He sat himself down in it, proudly so and motioned for Elena to sit down.

Elena knew better than to argue with the man who could screw her life up, accompanied by her family's. She did not know much of his hold in the city but she was not that dull that she could not guess. She knew Damon and knew that he never claimed to do something that he couldn't nor was he branded for bluffing. On top of that, John was paying her for this. Not for chickening out because she had a past with the CEO of the company.

The situation at hand demanded that she accept defeat.

Elena sat down quietly on the chair that was nearer to her. She pursed her lips together into a thin line and narrowed her eyes in disgust. Screw John and damn Damon to hell and back!

"You are aware of the nature of your job," Damon began, keeping his eyes on the file that was supposed to be Elena's resume. "You will be working as my personal assistant. I will go ahead to tell you that the job is not as easy as it seems."

"That's news." Damon would have admired sassy Elena under different circumstances.

"Elena, you're only making this harder for yourself." Damon said with a serious face. "Either we can make this work or we cannot. I advise you to keep your problems with me to be addressed for later in our personal time slot."

"Our 'personal' time slot?" Elena scoffed, "Who said I would want a personal time slot with you of all people?"

Damon stood up from his seat.

"Listen to yourself, Elena. You're acting so childish." He was losing patience with her but still somehow managed to keep his cool because he knew she had every right to be upset with him and he deserved every bit of spite she was throwing his way.

"I am acting childish, Damon? You walked out on me. You left. Without even saying a word. We were friends, Damon." That's it. She had lost it because Damon was pretending as if their time together was nothing.

"And you are not even apologetic about it. Not one bit." She mimicked his standing position and almost yelled at him.

Damon looked down, hurt and then out the big window that gave the view of the entire city, which Elena could have mistook for shame or guilt if she wasn't looking the other way out of frustration.

Before Elena could see it, he straightened himself.

"Elena. Sit. Down." Damon muttered through clenched teeth.

Elena sighed, took a deep breath and dashed her left hand through her hair. Gradually as she calmed down, she sat down.

"You know what? Let's just get this over with."

An hour passed as Damon familiarized her with what was required and included in her job description. He entrusted her with about the location of the company's files, current projects, contracts and the things she needed to be aware of being his PA. Great. At least that completed half of her spy mission now that she knew where the documents were.

Elena stole glances at Damon when he was paying too much attention to the papers and not enough to her which made her miss some of the things he was explaining. She could not decide whether she should be delighted that she finally found him after four years or hate him for leaving her behind.

Seeing as they were done with explaining and clearing up details, Damon picked up the receiver of his intercom and summoned Kate.

He took a quick look at his expensive Rolex watch and stood up from where he sat.

Few moments later, a knock on the door was heard.

"Enter," Damon said in reaction to the knock.

Kate Anderson appeared as the door opened.

"Kate, would you be kind enough to show Miss Gilbert her cabin?" Kate nodded with a sweet smile that was too sweet for Elena to bear and made her wince.

"Thank you. I have a meeting to attend. Elena, Kate will be there to assist you with anything that you need. You will start tomorrow."

With that, he sped out of the room.

* * *

Kate led her into a room that was stationed right next to Damon's office. She left after helping Elena become familiar with all the extensions of the intercom.

Perfect for my spying task, Elena thought to herself as a tinge of guilt passed through her but she shook it off. Right next to Damon's room with a window to his room was exactly where she should be.

Realizing she was alone at last, Elena pulled out her phone and began searching through her contacts hastily and resting when her screen read 'John Barrymore' followed by his number. Hitting dial, she put the mobile device next to her ear and waited for the man in question to answer.

One ring. Two rings. Three rings. Fourth ring.

That does it. Elena was going to have John's head on a stick. She was losing patience. If John valued his life enough, he had to answer Elena's call before she was done planning his perfect murder.

Setting her thoughts aside, Elena huffed, took a deep breath and tried again. "Pick up, John… come on come on…" fidgeting and shaking in anticipation.

Click.

The sound of John receiving the call pacified her nerves.

"What is it, Elena?" John sounded irritated, which was quite ironic given the situation.

Elena thought it would be better if they sorted this out in person. That way, it would be more convenient and she had more chances of convincing him to let her out of this. But she wasn't so sure if she wanted out, either.

"We need to talk."

"Okay." John responded, "Meet me at the same place, same time."

Click. He hung up and Elena heard the dial tone.

Withdrawing from all the events of the day, Elena began examining the room.

She had to admit that she was impressed with its interior. It was lavish yet simple as per her taste, not too big but not too small either. The colors in the room were balanced and were in combinations of cream, red, white and black.

The first thing she saw as she pushed the glass door of her cabin was a medium sized desk with a black leather chair, similar to the one in Damon's room but not quite as big or wide but just enough for her to fit in it.

The walls were cream colored but not the dull type. A bathroom door was on the left corner opposite to where her desk rested. Some expensive paintings hung on the wall that pleased the eyes.

A book shelf was placed at one end of the room. It hung on the wall as it gave the room some life.

She walked around and stopped in front of the bookshelf. The bookshelf was filled with Damon's collection of books. Some things never change, Elena thought to herself.

She grazed her fingers along the edges of the books, ranging from Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice to Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird. As she was exploring the bookshelf, Elena's eyes rested on one particular book. It seemed all too familiar. And then it hit her.

When Elena's eyes first caught Damon, he was holding the same book. The Great Gatsby.

_It was the first day of high school. Six months had passed since Elena's parents died. Jeremy and Elena had taken their time to grieve and heal. Thank the Lord for Jenna for pushing them to attend school as a distracting mechanism. Who knew it would work. _

_Bonnie was running late and Elena did not appreciate the idea of waiting so much. She tapped her fingers anxiously on her locker door, checked her wrist watch that her mom gave her on her thirteenth birthday and searched through the sea of faces in the hallway to seek a particular mocha-brown toned brunette. _

_"I'm so sorry I'm late." Bonnie came up behind Elena. Panting breathlessly because of all the running, more like galloping, she placed her hand on the locker door next to her to support her leaning stance. _

_"Gramps really wanted me to…," Bonnie was cut off as she heard a sequence of whispering in the hall. "What's that all about?" _

_"I don't know." Elena's sight hopped from face to face out of curiosity and a mass of them were looking in the same direction, mostly girls, bimbettes and some others. Girls, some gossiping, mostly hating and a few admiring. _

_She followed their direction of gaze when her eyes hit home on a young, tall, pale boy in a dark grey loose hood shirt and jeans, with the most exquisite blue eyes to exist on the planet behind a very thick frame of spectacles. He was struggling with his set of books, one book with a sharp blue cover that read "The Great Gatsby", unusually oblivious to all the voices and eyes directed at him._

_"Seriously? That's what this is about? A guy?" Bonnie fumed and could not help rolling her eyes at the triviality and shallowness of the girls around her._

_"Why? I think he's pretty cute." Elena smiled wickedly at her friend and placed her bottom lip between her teeth. _

_"Not you too." Bonnie was feeling queasy because the girls around her , including her best friend, were drooling over some blue-eyed, seemingly arrogant guy. Judging came naturally for her. It wasn't her fault because she was brought up in an environment where morals and principles were held dearer than life. _

_Elena shrugged nonchalantly._

_"Do you know him?" Elena asked as was trying to sound indifferent, which was opposite to what she was feeling on the inside. Attracted was the word. Attracted like a magnet and an iron nail. _

_"Not much. Just that he is Stefan Salvatore's brother. His name is Damon Salvatore. He just moved here. He's a transfer so basically, he's a senior. He's going to be here for a year and then he's going to graduate. Poof." _

_Bonnie motioned the movement of her hand in a manner that implied exploding and then vanishing into thin air. _

_"Great. He gets to run away from this miserable town in a year and I still have to wait like what? Four more years? No big deal. I'm just so unbelievably fortunate." Elena smiled sarcastically, widening her eyes in the process as she started walking beside Bonnie to begin her first class of the day._

_"I'm sure it's not that bad. I mean... you have friends and family here that love you," Bonnie said sincerely, "Like me and Matt and Jenna and Jeremy. Just know that we are all here for you, okay?" Bonnie cracked a smile on her perfectly chiseled face. _

_"I guess I'll survive." Elena smiled and nodded. "Hey Bon, do you think you could do me a favor?"_

_"Shoot." _

_"Can you dig up on Damon Salvatore for me?" Elena asked, her face flushed with embarrassment. _

_"Ooo, somebody's interested. Is this real? Elena Gilbert showing an interest in a guy after a century." Bonnie cooed dramatically. Leave it to Bonnie to exaggerate and embarrass Elena._

_"Hey! I'm not even that old." Elena giggled. _

_"Anything for you, sweets. Catch me after school and you'll have some of his dirty secrets." Bonnie winked._

_"Wait! What are you going to do?" Oh God! Let this not be turned into a disaster._

_"Ask Paige Davis, obviously. That girl knows everything on everyone. Trust me, El." Bonnie reassured Elena as if she could read her mind. _

_Both girls stopped walking when Bonnie saw the placard that read "Chemistry" on the door._

_"Anyway, this is my stop. See you later." _

_"Sure." And Elena went off on her way to find her scheduled room. _

* * *

"John, I want out."

"What? Elena, you can't back down now."

"Why not?"

"What seems to be the problem?" John inquired as he took a sip from his coffee cup and cut a chunk out of his cherry pie.

Elena was at a dead-end. She couldn't tell John about Damon because quite frankly, it was best left between her and Damon. She trusted John but not with her entire life.

"I can't work here. The work environment is not suiting me." She tried to come up with a good excuse but it seems she tried too hard.

She heard John chuckle.

"John, it's not funny." Elena rolled her eyes.

"No, I know I know." John said, half apologetic, half mocking. "Now, what's the real reason?"

"What?" Elena looked at him as if she was caught in the middle of committing a heinous crime.

"C'mon Elena. I am not that stupid. I'm an FBI agent, remember? You're slightly underestimating my abilities and quite frankly, I'm offended." John mirrored an image of being fake-offended.

"Fine. I'm scared. It's too dangerous." She retorted quickly. She may be a horrible liar but she might as well take her chances.

"I'll double your money." He offered.

"That's very generous of you but honestly, it's not even about the money." I just cannot handle being around that giant pain in the ass for the next year or two, she thought to herself.

"Look Elena, whatever your problem is, sort it out." Now he seemed pissed. That was a fast transition. "I've got guys backing me up on this task. And those guys are not just petty people. They're strong, influential people in the FBI. It's not a joke. You can't just be in and out whenever you please and plus, you've come way too far to go back now. You know more than you need to and if you want to go back to living a normal life, it's too late for that. I might as well just put you down here." He balled his fists which depicted that he was trying to control his temper and stop himself from lashing out.

"Are you serious? Threatening me? Why is everyone threatening me, today?" Elena had enough with the threatening. First Damon, now John.

"I'm not threatening you, Elena. I'm not that dumb. I know the law. I am just explaining the situation to you. It's not as light as you seem to take it. You are not understanding the seriousness of the situation. It's a government level project." He explained as calmly as he could.

"I gave you time to think. A week maybe? Wasn't that enough? I warned you. Once you're in, you're only out when it's done." Noticing the rise in his tone and the heaviness in his words, Elena got apprehensive and decided that her issue with Damon was just a drop in the ocean considering the bigger picture.

"Also, I'd like to keep my job." John added.

Elena nodded in an understanding manner.

Her new decision brought some more issues into perspective like how she is going to need the money for her family because after all, money like that doesn't just fall from the sky and the bills were stacking up. Also, how she could even prove Damon's innocence through this, which was now her hidden agenda, of course John did not need to know that. What he didn't know wouldn't hurt him.

"Fine. Anyways, I wanted to let you know that now, being the CEO's PA," She was careful not to mention Damon and let John know about their first name basis interactions, "I have access to all the hard-copies related to the company's records and transactions."

"Have you gone through them yet?" John inquired impatiently.

"No, today wasn't my first day at work. Dam- .. The CEO Mr. Salvatore asked me to join tomorrow so today was just for interview." Elena crossed her arms and laid back in her seat.

"Great. Keep me informed. Remember, don't talk about everything on the phone. Text me and meet me here whenever you want to talk. Always take this corner table and be watchful in case someone's following you."

With that, he signaled the waiter for the receipt and rose on his feet from his chair. He placed two bills of ten on the table, tugged the base of his suit and looked at Elena, "Until next time, Elena."

Elena smiled politely, took a delicate sip of her coffee and waved him goodbye as she saw him disappear out of the coffee shop entrance.

* * *

The door shut behind her with a loud thud and she plopped down on the couch. She was supposed to call Bonnie today but the day was incredibly hectic. It totally slipped off her mind.

Elena was grateful that the day was over. Damon and John, combined together were too much to take for an ordinary girl like her.

Jenna came out of her room, dressed and ready to go out from head to toe.

"Ooo, look at you, gorgeous! Where are you off to?" Elena smiled wickedly and wiggled her eyebrows in question.

Jenna smiled just as brightly as she slipped her shoes onto her feet. "I've got a date, tonight." Jenna responded in a cheery manner. She was smiling like a girl going on her first date for the first time in her life.

"And you didn't tell me?" Elena shaped her mouth into a perfect 'o' and pretended to be offended by bringing her hand to her chest.

"In my defense, he asked me today and you were not home for the entire day."

"Fair enough. Won't argue with that." Elena raised both her hands in defeat.

"Oh hey, you and Jeremy, behave." Jenna pointed a threatening finger at Elena.

"Okay okay, it's not like we're going to burn the house down or...," Elena's wicked smile popped up again, "Have a grand party while you're away... with drinking and dancing and you know the drill..." Elena suggested in a joking way.

"I'm sure someone, somewhere in the world finds that joke very funny."

The front door bell rang.

"That would be my date."

"Have fun, Jenna." Elena wished her a nice time as she walked her way upstairs to her room and Jenna ran towards the door.

* * *

Damon was typing on his laptop swiftly, one key press after another, to get the work done for the day. He was exhausted and wanted to go home to his apartment and get some well deserved sleep.

It was late at night and Damon's fingers and brain were slowly giving in to the intoxication of slumber. He struggled hard to stay awake. In his mind, there was no one on the office floor except for him.

That illusion was torn down by a knock that was heard on the opaque glass door. Seeing the silhouette behind the large glass frame, he knew who it was, unless his brain was playing tricks on him.

"Enter," Damon responded, drowsiness apparent in his weak voice.

The door creaked open and between the frame and the world outside his office room, stood a handsome looking man, brown hair, emerald eyes, probably every girl's dream come true and seeming as if he just jumped out of a romantic novel.

"Here to watch my life crumble into pieces again, brother?" The fact that he was tired did not help to dim the pang of irritation and annoyance that he was feeling for Stefan Salvatore.

In present day, Stefan Salvatore was everyone's go-to person. That was a miraculous transition considering his past.

In his high school days, he was the star of the school slash jock slash jerk that got every girl that he wanted and would dump them once he was done. He would use people to get his ways. At home, he was the spoilt brat that got everything he desired as soon as his wish touched his lips. He was their father's favorite. It was as if their father's entire life revolved around keeping Stefan happy, pretending Damon's existence was void and that he had only one son.

Though to be fair, that was not the reason for the bad blood between them. He tried convincing himself to stop paying heed to how his father treated him after his mother died and he was somewhat successful, if not completely. The truth is, to any onlooker, it would always seem like Damon is the bad guy and that Stefan was his victim. That was Damon's entire life in a sentence. The back-story was different, however.

If Damon would earn something, Stefan being the spoilt one, would slide it right out of his older brother's grasp with a few words. If Damon deserved to be under the spotlight for the day, Stefan would not forget to throw a tantrum to ensure that the universe focuses on him. Where Stefan would get praising, Damon would be gifted with harsh words and a lecture on responsibility. Whether intentionally or unintentionally, Giuseppe Salvatore was unfair like that.

That was then but this is now. Stefan had undergone a huge transformation phase once he was betrayed by his friends in a scandal and abandoned by Susan Robertson, the girl he thought he was in love with. It was the darkest phase of Stefan's life that one goes through at least once where you come out as a bitter person or a better one. Damon being the big brother, no matter how much he despised Stefan, came to the rescue.

However, that does not mean the incidents instigated a brotherly bond between them. Stefan did change but not the relationship between them.

Damon turned eighteen and legally inherited the Salvatore property. He went off to college and in his last year of college, he took over the business along with Giuseppe and started at the bottom and earned his way up within a year. Needless to say, he moved out the first chance he saw.

The fact that their father signed off more than half of his wealth to Damon confused him. In his mind, the wealth would all go away to Stefan once he reaches the age of eligibility. Till date, he still thought that there was some twisted game plan behind this decision of their father's.

At times, it would occur to Damon to take the whole business down in a heartbeat as revenge for all those times his father revoked and disregarded his efforts. But that did not happen. Damon decided to take this opportunity to prove it to their father, for once and for all, that he was worthy and worthy just as much as Stefan or more and that he should realize that.

"No, Damon," Stefan replied to his bitter question, honestly and looked down at his feet. "I was just here to give you a ride home. It's late."

"Oh, how very thoughtful! I'm sure it's nothing Charlie could not do." Damon sneered, keeping his eyes fixated on the screen and keys ticking on collision with his fingertips. Sarcasm and anguish were evident in his tone, despite his tired condition.

"I'll just wait outside." Stefan said indifferently.

"Stefan, stop trying to fix things between us. It's not going to happen." Damon had enough of this play. He did not even look at Stefan. "Go home and leave me alone. Dad's probably worried sick about his little baby." Disgust was dripping from his words.

"I'm sorry, Damon. Maybe we could really be brothers one day instead of just acting like it in front of our delegates and clients."

No response.

Stefan was sincerely sorry and remorseful but twenty years of maltreatment was a long time and a lot to forgive and forget in a night. Stefan knew he was asking for too much.

* * *

**A/N: **So I know I made Stefan a little (okay a lot) OOC but that doesn't mean I don't love him enough. I just thought that the plot demanded it.

Thank you so much for reading! Hope you liked it! :D

Review, review, review and fave/alert/follow xox

Lots of love,

Jia.


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